The final round of the AFC Champions League group stage has ended, with six teams from the West Asia region having confirmed their places in the knockout rounds, and three teams from the East Asian zone having already qualified ahead of schedule. In this football feast across Asia, we witnessed fierce competition, wonderful goals, and the collision of different cultures.
Let's take a look back at some of the highlights of these key matches. First, let's take a look at the two matches in Group D, where Riyadh Crescent and Namangan New Spring defeated Mazandaran and Mumbai City 2-1 respectivelyThus locking in the top two of the group.
Riyadh Crescent has performed well in this AFC Champions League, winning 15 consecutive victories in all competitions, making history in Asian football. On their offensive line,Players such as Michael, Davasari and Blake have shown great individual ability and a tacit understanding of each other.
Against Mazandaran, they broke the deadlock just four minutes into the opening four minutes when Blake sent in a cross and Michael volleyed home. In the 53rd minute, Davasari scored with a shot to extend the score to 2-0.
Although Mazandaran pulled a goal back in the 77th minute, Riyadh Crescent won the game 2-1 and qualified for the top spot with a high score of 16 points. Namangan New Year was played against Mumbai CityCompleted a comeback victory.
Bombay City took the lead in the 18th minute when Amayal Ranard scrambled home from inside the box. Namangan equalised in the 38th minute when Abdukhalim Ismatov headed in from a cornerThe ball hits the opposing defender and goes into the net.
In the second half, Namangan stepped up their attack, and in the 76th minute, they scored the winning goal when Abdukhalim Ismatov scored again with a header to seal the victory. With a score of 13 points, Namangan became the second place in the best group in West Asia, and it is also the pride of Uzbek football.
Next, let's take a look at the match in Group C, where Jeddah United and Sepahan competed, which directly determined the top spot in the group. Jeddah United is a Saudi Arabian giant, with several national team playersTheir goal is to win the AFC Champions League.
Sepahan, on the other hand, are a powerhouse for Iran, with a number of Asian Cup winners in their squad, and they are excellent defensively and counter-attacking. Jeddah United took the lead in the game, and in the 14th minute, they took the lead when Saleh Amri took a free-kick straight into the back of the netNice kick.
In the second half, Sepahan fought back and equalised in the 48th minute when Ali Rezayan headed home a cross from the left and pulled one back for the club. However, Jeddah United did not give up and in the 69th minute, they took the lead again when Jota stabbed the ball in front of the goalkeeper to seal the victory.
In the end, Jeddah United won 2-1 against Sepahan to top the group with 15 points, while Sepahan kept their hopes of promotion alive with 10 points. Finally, let's take a look at the match in Group B, the matchup between Nassaf and SaadIt's a battle for the top spot in the group.
Nasaf, another Uzbek team, is a force to be reckoned with, with a number of players in their attacking line who are both fast and technical. Al-Saad is a powerhouse in Qatar with a number of foreign players in their squadThey are well-balanced both offensively and defensively.
Nassaf took the lead and broke the deadlock in the eighth minute when Abdulmalik Mohammed volleyed home in the box to give his team a dream start. In the 28th minute, Saad equalised when Al-Baghdadi's cross from the right was met by Abdullah Al Ali's header, which hit the opposition defender and into the net.
In the second half, both sides had chances, but neither took them, until the 90th minute, Nasaf scored the winning goal, Abdulmalik Mohammed was brought down by the opposing defender in the box, the referee awarded a penalty, Abdumalik Mohammed himself took it himself, calmly smashed the ball into the bottom left corner, and completed the stunner for the team. Nassaf defeated Saad 2-1 to top the group with 11 points, while Saad finished second with eight pointsThere is only the possibility of theoretical advancement.
That's it for our roundup of the key matches in the final round of the AFC Champions League group stage, and I hope you enjoy it. The excitement of the AFC Champions League continues, and the knockout matches will also be revealed in the near futureLet's wait and see.